This invention is in the field of metal chelating agents. Metal chelating agents are well known to be useful for supplying trace elements to plants suffering from metal deficiencies, for inclusion in metal plating baths, for removing "rust" stains from various types of surfaces, for removing impurities from liquid systems, and for analytical chemical titrations. However, many of the known chelating agents are useful only in aqueous systems. See, e.g., Kroll U.S. Pat. No. 2,967,196; Rubin U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,679. It is the purpose of this invention to provide a new class of metal chelating agents which is soluble in a wide range of non-aqueous systems. Such chelating agents are useful for the extraction or deactivation of metals in non-aqueous systems, for the introduction of metals into non-aqueous systems, for providing oil-borne micronutrients to plants, and for many other applications.